Valerie Invites Minister to Visit Joseph Leckie Academy

Joseph Leckie Academy was awarded £17 million for major refurbishment through the Building Schools for the Future Programme under the last Labour Government, but did not receive the majority of the funding after the BSF Programme was cancelled by David Cameron in 2010. 

In 2016 I invited the then Minister for Schools Nick Gibb MP to Joseph Leckie to see first hand that the funds were urgently needed, and since then the school has received a grant for a new teaching block. I am delighted that the school has access to such a high-quality teaching space, pictured below at my visit in November 2021.

Money was not allocated within that grant for the dining area, school hall or toilets. I understand that some toilets remain in very poor condition, and parts of the buildings were described as ‘grim’ by Nick Gibb MP during his visit. These facilities are essential for the wellbeing of students across the school, to enable them to learn to their full potential. 

At Questions to the Secretary of State for Education on Monday 14 March 2022, I asked: 

“Joseph Leckie still hasn’t received the full amount that was allocated under Building Schools for the Future in 2010. Will the Minister please come and visit Joseph Leckie so that he can see the toilets, school hall and the dining area, which are in desperate need of refurbishment?”

The Minister for School Standards Robin Walker MP said that he would consult his diary to see when he would be able to take up the invitation.